?anakkale is your best base for visiting the Gallipoli battlefields and the ruins of Troy (although you can visit on a whirlwind day-trip from Istanbul , or a more comfortable overnight excursion by car or bus , or a Six-Day Self-Drive Tour from Istanbul to Ephesus ). Located on the southern shore of the Dardanelles strait (Hellespont), ?anakkale was the major strong-point in the defence of the Dardanelles from the time of the Trojans through World War I. Today ?anakkale is a pleasant town with sights to see in town include sturdy ?imenlik Fortress , the Military Museum, Naval Museum and Archaeology Museum.
